A Zootopia Christmas Carol
It was almost two centuries ago, when Christmas had come to Zootopia at last. Even before that, this merry old city had stood there for centuries, with many other mammals spending that special holiday there. Whether predator or prey, rich or poor, big or small, most mammals had a big place for Christmas in their hearts. The season of love and giving was celebrated by families across the city, and with great pleasure. The magic of the season was so strong that it could affect any mammal in the city. Even those that one couldn´t expect it to affect. This was one of those cases. One of the few mammals who didn´t enjoy Christmas was Mr. Ebeneezer Big, a shrew who worked as a moneylender in the city. He was a cold-hearted, bitter and unforgiving miser with no love for the holiday or his fellow mammals for that matter. The only thing that he seemed to hold dear was money, which he loved to make almost every day during the year. Big had been doing this for a long time with his partner Koslov, until he passed away years ago. But even after then, his other polar bears still worked there with him. Still, Big had some employee´s that did love Christmas a lot, like his bookkeeper Nick Hopps, a friendly fox, and his gardener, Emmitt Otterton. Even though these two were overworked and underpaid, they still were good and caring family men who looked after their wives and children faithfully. Especially during Christmas. Nick worked hard every day to feed his beautiful wife, the rabbit Judy Hopps, and his children. The youngest of these was Jonathan, who was ill. Nick hoped in his heart that someday he would recover from his ailment, and spend a happy Christmas with them again. That was about to happen soon, as would a big change in the bitter shrew´s life. Something that he wouldn´t expect. Something that would prove how Christmas magic can thaw even the coldest of hearts. It all happened during the 24th of December, right before the day. Walking across the wintery streets of Zootopia, Mr Big was carried by his polar bear assistant as he adjusted his top hat and cane. The city was already in a most festive mood. Christmas trees, turkeys, pastries and decorations were still on sale, and a family of field mice was caroling near the city hall. Even the richest mammals in the city were at their most generous during Christmas, donating big sums to charities. Except for Big. He had a reputation for being the biggest tightwad in the city, for he never gave a penny away for charities like that. "Bah. This season is nothing but humbug", the shrew sneered at a raccoon family playing in the snow. Eventually, he reached his office, where Nick was working hard at his desk. The poor fox wore a raggedy green coat and a scarf, as he shuddered while writing. Even though it was very cold there with the stove in the room being broken, he still kept on working. Every penny he earned was worth it to him, as long as he got to help his family. As Big entered the room, Nick kept his focus more on the work. His boss was not the forgiving type at all, even the slightest mistakes were not tolerated by him. The shrew sat down, counting his money with a frown on his face. Big was quite rich already, even though a lot of the money he had was earned by questionable means. While writing with a feather pen, he noticed how an otter wearing green was packing his belongings and leaving. He was Emmitt Otterton, Big´s florist. "Where are you going?" Big asked. "To spend the holiday with my family, as we promised. Merry Christmas to you too, sir!" Emmitt smiled. "Hmph. But remember to be back in two days, or I´ll lower your salary", the stingy shrew said. It was the same situation with Nick every time he took the day off for Christmas, although he had no choice. "Oh, don't be so unhappy during Christmas. You´re a wealthy mammal after all. Why don´t you join our family for a nice Christmas party?" Emmitt asked. "Hah. If it were for me, I´d have this whole Christmas nonsense put on ice", Big sneered as he kept on counting the money. Emmitt felt disappointed for having his offer rejected, but still left the house after wishing Nick a merry Christmas. The fox couldn´t wait to get back to his beloved bunny soon too. Suddenly, another knock was on the door. One of the polar bears opened it. "Merry....Christmas...to you...gentlemen.." a slow but merry voice said. Nick smiled as he saw two sloths enter the room, carrying money boxes. They were Flash and Priscilla, local charity collectors that traveled through the city every Christmas. Even though Nick was poor, he was always able to donate a bit to that too. “What are you doing here?” the shrew turned towards the sloths after Nick had given his penny. “Collecting money….for a good cause”, Flash smiled. “To help out….those in need”, Priscilla said. “What about prisons or workhouses? Haven´t we got enough of those?” Big noted. “Yes…plenty of prisons…and workhouses…” Flash was confused. “That´s….often….the last resort….for them”, Priscilla added. “Excellent! That helps with the surplus population too. Now get out!” Big ordered. He had always believed that Zootopia was overpopulated. Nick was a bit shocked, but not surprised at his the remark of his boss as the sloths left. But still, it didn´t ruin his mood for Christmas. After finishing his bookkeeping, he went to tell Big about spending the rest of the holiday with his family. “Alright. Take the day off. But be back in time, or I´ll pay you less”, Big said as Nick packed his belongings. “I understand. Merry Christmas anyway!” Nick waved while he left the building. Despite his holiday mood, his heart felt still a bit heavy. The fox´s family couldn´t afford for many gifts or the best foods in town, and the poor pay Nick got wasn´t certainly helping. But even with what little they had, Nick was still grateful to have his family around. He just wished he could help them more. It was getting darker and snowing too, with other mammals already heading inside as he approached his home in the downtown. It was time for him to relax with his family. Nick knocked on the door. Suddenly, a beautiful gray-furred rabbit in a pink apron dress came to open it. She was Judy Hopps, his wife. “Darling, I´m home!” he hugged her. “Merry Christmas, my dear! Glad you were able to take the day off”, Judy said, holding her poor husband gently. “It´s a miracle a boss like Mr. Big even gives a day off”, Nick took off his coat and headed inside. There, the rest of the Hopps family was waiting. Ginnifer, Jason, Rich, Byron, Josie, Laverne….and the youngest of them all, Little Jonathan. This little fox kit was a cheerful and nice boy, but he was gravely ill and had to walk with a stick. Jonathan had been like that for quite a while, which had made his parents very concerned. “How are you, son?” Nick asked. “I´m fine, but a little cold. Hope it doesn´t get any worse soon”, Jonathan said in his tiny voice. “Come to the table, all of you! The soup is almost ready!” Judy said to her husband and children. Even though the soup wasn´t as tasty as something like turkey, they were still grateful to at least have something to eat during their hard times. But still, Nick wished those times would change soon. Not just regarding his job, but also regarding his family…and especially his son. As the dark had fallen, Mr Big had also come to his home at the other side of the town. Being the cheap shrew that he was, he hadn´t bought the most expensive house either, although it was still quite cozy with a vixen housekeeper named Skye. However, as he walked in, he noticed how the doorknob, which was shaped like a polar bear, looked like it was staring at him. Almost reminding him of his late business partner, Jacob Koslov. To him, it even sounded like it was whispering his name. “I must be seeing things”, Big murmured as he walked in, saying hello to Skye as he walked upstairs. Holding a candle, he was heading towards his bedroom to get some sleep before going back to work. But he wasn´t alone in the room. Big was ready to go to sleep, as he closed the door behind him. He wanted a moment of peace from all the commotion that day. Suddenly, something blew away the light on his candle. The shrew could feel a cold breeze in the room. "Ebeneezer...." a ghostly voice said. Out of nowhere, a huge polar bear appeared, wearing tattered clothing and long chains all over him, that were attached to boxes of money. He had a very threatening and ghostlike presence all over him. "Koslov! B-but you´re dead! It can´t be!" Big stuttered fearfully at the sight of his late business partner Jacob Koslov haunting him. "I am. You haven´t changed one bit since then. Why do you doubt your senses?" Koslov noticed how Big didn´t believe what he saw. "Because a little thing can affect them. Must be an undigested cannoli", the shrew thought as the bear sat down next to him. From the way Koslov looked at him, Big noticed he had something important to say. "Why are you all chained up?" he asked. "That´s what I´ve come here to say. Hear my words, Ebeneezer Big. It is required of every mammal that the spirit within him or her shall walk abroad among his or her fellow mammals. And if that spirit doesn´t go forth in life, he or she is condemned to do so after his or her death!" Koslov said. "What do you mean?" Big said fearfully. "All the things we did together, scamming and swindling mammals all across the city...this is what it led into! And a similar fate happens to you if you won´t change your ways!" Koslov rattled his chains in a threatening fashion. The stingy shrew flinched. Just the mere thought of him ending up like the chained ghost of the bear frightened him deeply. "What must I do?" he asked, backing away from Koslov. "Tonight you´ll be visited by three spirits. Listen to what they say and take it to your heart, if you do have one. Or else your chain will be bigger than mine", the bear said. With a haunting howling sound, the ghost disappeared along with his chains. Big had never been this scared in his life before. He couldn´t believe what had happened, but didn´t want the worst to happen to him either Still, he went back to sleep, trying to get his nerves to calm down. Time passed, as the bell tolled one. Big was in deep slumber, although he hadn´t forgotten about Koslov´s haunting warnings. "Ebeneezer...." another voice echoed. But this time, it was a much gentler whisper, most likely a female voice. Big rose from the bed after hearing it, and turned to the direction of his window, which had been opened for some reason. A beautiful female gazelle that looked like an angel with a shiny white robe arrived to the room like an apparition. She had a much more welcoming presence than Koslov´s ghost. "Who are you?" Big asked. "I´m the Ghost of Christmas Past, but you can just call me Gazelle. You must´ve heard of me. I have something important to show you", the gazelle said. "Well...we better get this over with", Big shrugged. "Come. Grab my hoof", Gazelle offered her hand to the shrew. She was ready to show it to him. Semi-hesitantly, the miser grabbed her. In a flash, the two were flying across the sky of Zootopia with huge speed. Big could see the entire city in its nightly beauty as Gazelle led the way. "Where are we going?" he asked. "You´ll see", she answered. Big didn´t know into what pickle he had landed, but somehow he had a bad feeling about it. After the huge burst of speed ended, they arrived at the backyard of a small school in Tundratown, full of rodent children. Big´s eyes went wide as he recognized the place. "T-this was my school when I was a little shrew!" he said. He looked around, noticing the mice, rats and shrews playing around in the snow. He recognized most of the children there. "Dorian, Tom, Basil....I remember them all!" a rare smile of delight appeared on his usually scowling face. But it faded away quickly as he noticed something. A lonely shrew child was inside the classroom with his books and pen, while the others played outside. "A solitary child...neglected by his friends. Does he look familiar?" Gazelle asked. "Yes. That´s me", Big noticed. He had always been a lonely sort, ever since his childhood, which had kept him in isolaton and turned him colder over the years. For the first time in many years, a look of sadness appeared on his face. "I´ve so many bad memories of this era", he said. "Not all of them were sad. There were times when even you found happiness among your fellow mammals. Remember this?" Gazelle showed another vision. It was a Christmas party in a large building, full of many mammals, both big and small. At the center of a party was a big and burly buffalo, who was in a surprisingly good mood. "That´s Bogo! My old boss!" Big recognized. "I still remember how much you admired him and wanted to be a big businessman like him. But you admired something more during that time", Gazelle smiled, pointing on the floor. As Bogo played his violin, several mammals were dancing there. Among them was Big in his 20s, with a beautiful female mouse in a festive red dress and a matching hat. "Miss Tilly Murington..." the shrew remembered her. Just the mere sight of her filled him with memories. The two had been friends ever since they worked at Bogo´s place, and Tilly had been the only person who Big ever had feelings for. He used to love her greatly, even though neither of them were wealthy at that time. "She was so beautiful and kind. I wish I could´ve made her happy, for she deserved it", Big said poignantly. "You could´ve done that...but you chose differently. You started to love something else much more", Gazelle led Big to another vision. Bogo had gone out of business, whereas Big and Koslov´s enterprise had risen to its place. He could see how Tilly walked out of its door, teary-eyed and in tattered clothing. "You loved money more than that lovely being, and lost her for eternity", Gazelle said. Seeing this moment again had filled Big with guilt and regret, something he hadn´t ever felt before. He wished he could go back in time and not make that mistake again. "Such a painful memory", Big murmured. "It is. But you cannot change the past. The deeds you did back then have led to where you are. You can only change who you are now, and affect the lives of many in the progress. You need to do it for what´s really important in life", Gazelle told. "What do you mean by that?" Big asked. Suddenly, he noticed how Gazelle was fading away, as was the scenery around her. "I cannot tell you more. However, the next spirit will be more helpful than I am. Goodbye, Ebeneezer", Gazelle´s voice echoed as she disappeared. A hour passed. Big tried to sleep, but so many thoughts had filled his head that he couldn´t fall asleep. He didn´t know what to do. Especially since it felt like for the first time in forever, his conscience had awakened, and it wasn´t clear. There was a part in him who started to regret his actions. Before the shrew could think any more, he heard a loud noise from a nearby room. "Who is there?" he asked. Big wondered whenever he would meet the next ghost. And that was just happening at that moment. He entered a room with a big Christmas tree and a banquet full of finest yuletime dishes, from goose and turkey to pudding and fruit cakes. At the center of the room sat a chubby, merry cheetah in a green robe and a wreath of garland in his head. He chuckled heartily. "I´m the Ghost of Christmas Present, also known as Clawhauser. Merry Christmas to you, sir!" he said while feasting on a turkey leg. "P-pleased to meet you", a confused Big said as he went next to him. The cheetah offered him a smaller piece of his turkey leg too. While eating, Clawhauser looked outside the window, which showed hordes of mammals celebrating the holiday. "It looks so merry out there. Let´s join the fun, won´t we?" he asked. "Bah. That holiday´s nothing but humbug and waste of money", Big said. "Are you sure? You´ll soon see that this holiday is about something more important", Clawhauser said. While holding a lantern, he led the two outside to the wintery setting. It was a wonderful sight, with families, couples and children all enjoying Christmas there even louder than before. Both prey and predators got along well with each other. "Love for fellow mammals is what gives this holiday its magic. Even for mammals like you, there´s still bit of that during that holiday", Clawhauser said. "What do you mean?" Big thought. He rarely heard other mammals talking about him positively. Clawhauser led him to a house that he noticed as the Otterton household. Looking from a window, he could see how Emmitt was there enjoying a fish dinner with his wife and children. The otter family wasn´t wealthy, but they still looked very happy together. "Thanks for such a wonderful dinner, my dear", Mrs. Otterton said to him. "Hey Dad, want to play a little guessing game?" his son asked while playing with his toy plane. "Well, what would it be?" Emmitt asked. "I want you to guess a small mammal that´s very unpleasant. Do you know what I´m thinking of?" the child otter said. Emmitt thought about it for some time. "Uh... rat? Bat?" he wondered, but both guesses were wrong. "I know! It´s Mr. Ebeneezer Big, isn´t it?" Mrs. Otterton got an idea. "Correct!" the child otter said. Big scowled a bit. "Heh. But if it weren´t for him, we wouldn't be sharing a dinner like this here. He may not be a nice rodent, but I´m still grateful for him", Emmitt said. The shrew was startled. He didn´t expect Emmitt to speak that politely of him outside public. Clawhauser then showed something different for him. After a while, he led him to the Hopps household, where Nick and Judy had a dinner there with their children. "Gosh. For such poor mammals, they look so happy", Big said as he noticed Nick kissing his rabbit wife while sharing a toast. "They sure do...but not entirely. Look", Clawhauser pointed at Jonathan. Despite smiling, they could see how gravely ill and weak he looked. Genuine concern and empathy suddenly started to fill Big. He felt bad for the situation of the Hopps family. "Clawhauser....what is to become of little Jonathan?" he asked. "I don´t know. I´m not the right ghost for it. But I can see that if their situation doesn´t get better, there will be an empty chair there next year. Well, some mammals would think that´s okay, since it´ll decrease the surplus population", Clawhauser looked glum. Big felt ashamed. He was starting to regret everything he had said about the whole issue. "Thanks for this wonderful dinner and holiday my family had together. Bless my wife, my daughters, sons and little Jonathan. May he get better soon", Nick prayed while looking a bit melancholy. Judy could see how worried he was about his son. "You´re a real darling father, Nick", she patted him on the shoulder, which comforted him a bit. Despite being at a weak state, Jonathan still ate heartily at the dinner table. Nick was still able to feed him and their family - but for how long? "This is what really matters in life, Ebeneezer. Even if all the wealth you have was earned by honest ways, it still wouldn´t bring you happiness in the long run. You have noticed it probably already. Family and love are where it really stems, and that´s what this holiday truly celebrates", Clawhauser explained. Big nodded. Something was changing inside him as they walked away to the night. He didn´t want Nick´s family to suffer at all, and wished he could change the way things were at that moment. Finally, as they came to a distant place in the city, it was time for Clawhauser to leave. At the place, Big noticed two scrawny and starving-looking ram children. "Who are those?" he asked. "They´re Ignorance and Want, the children of our kind. Beware of them, especially the male one, for on his brow I see Doom written all over it, unless it´s erased. Good deeds can do it, and stop them from having a dark future", Clawhauser said. As Big was thinking about what he meant by that, he noticed how the cheetah started to fade away. "Clawhauser!" he screamed. "My time is up. Think of everything I´ve said, and change your ways, or there won´t be hope for your future either", Clawhauser said as he disappeared. After he had left, Big noticed how someone else had entered the place. It was a frightening, cloaked figure with the snout and clawed paws of an elderly hyena. The shrew couldn´t see his face at all, which made the creature seem creepier. "A-are you the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come?" he asked. The cloaked figure didn´t speak, only nodded. Without hesitation, he showed the way to Big, back towards the city. Fearfully, the miser followed behind. This was the spirit that he had been the most afraid to meet. Suddenly, the area looked like it was changing around them, as if they were in a vortex. After a while, the ghost and Big were back at the city. On the streets, he noticed a familiar figure. Skye, his housekeeper was walking away from the direction of his house, which was being demolished. She carried also several boxes with her "W-what´s going on?" he wondered. Following the arctic vixen, she eventually walked down the stairs to a nearby alley, where there was a pawn shop. At the desk sat a shady looking weasel in an untidy business suit. "Ah, a customer. What you´ve gotten for old Duke this time?" he asked. "My old master isn´t living in his house anymore, so I´m giving you several of his items that he won´t need anymore", Skye said, handing over the boxes to Duke, who inspected them. "Why won´t I be needing them? That was my fireplace rug!" Big said as he noticed Duke take it. "Oh, poor shrew. He never realized this was made from a skunk´s butt. But I´ll take it any way for five dollars for starters", the weasel laughed. As annoyed as Big was by this, it wasn´t his number one concern at that moment. "What about little Jonathan? Is he still alright?" he asked. Grimly, the hyena ghost led him away from the street to the other end of the city. Big had a very bad feeling about this. Why did everything seem so different around here? The shrew went pale as he got an answer to his question. The ghost led them to the cemetery of Zootopia. At there, he noticed how Judy, Nick and their children were around a gravestone. Both the fox and his wife looked very heartbroken as they held each other´s paws. "Such a beautiful funeral...Goodbye, my little son", Judy cried. "He brought so much joy to our lives", Nick said. A tear appeared on Big´s cheek too. He now realized the potential consequences of his actions. "This future...I don´t want this for them. Is there any way to change it, to not have little Jonathan die?" he asked. But the ghost didn´t answer. Suddenly, he noticed one gravestone in the graveyard that looked very different from the rest. It was far away from them, with no flowers in it. The hyena ghost led him towards it next. "W-who does this belong to?" Big stuttered. The hyena lit a match in his clawed, creepy paw, showing the writing on the epitaph as he pointed to it. Much to Big´s horror, it revealed his own name! And it was only a few years after the present day. "No! Spirit, please! I beg of you! I´ll take everything you said into my heart, and change my ways! I don´t want this kind of future for anyone. I´ll change the future for them myself, if I have to", Big woved. The spirit looked at him, nodding a bit. Suddenly, everything around Big went to black. It felt like he was fading away from the place... But he didn't fade away. He was back at his own bedroom, and morning had come. "Oh! Thank heavens! I feel light as a feather", the feeling of joy filled the shrew´s heart. It was the kind of joy he hadn´t felt for a long time. All the visits of the ghosts had left an impact on him. As he rose from the bed, he noticed a jaguar kitten walking outside from a window. He reminded Big a lot of little Jonathan. That gave the shrew an idea as he peeked up and called the child. "Hey! It´s Christmas Day, isn´t it? Are there any shops still open at this morning?" he asked cheerfully. "Yes, Sir. The marketplace has still all the stands open", the little boy said. Then, Big threw him a bag of money that he caught with his paw. "Want to earn a little pocket money? Go buy the best turkey in the marketplace and send it to the Hopps residence in Cypress Grove Lane. You can keep all the change, but don´t mention who sent it", Big told. He wanted to surprise his bookkeeper totally. "Alright, I´ll do it! Merry Christmas!" The jaguar said as he left. Laughing jollily, Big put on his suit, top hat and cane as he headed downstairs where Skye and his polar bears were already. "Merry Christmas to all of you!" he said. Skye couldn´t believe it. The master of the house had never wished that to anybody in his household before. "A-are you alright, Sir?" she looked curiously. "Certainly, ma´am. But I have some unfinished business to do this morning, for my good old bookkeeper", the shrew smiled. Hours passed. Big bought several gifts from the shops that were still open, and rather expensive ones too. He mailed them to both the Otterton family and the Hopps family. Merrily, he walked on the streets, wishing merry Christmas to anyone who passed him. The mammals were surprised at this sight, especially those who knew him. Mr.Big had never been this nice to anyone. It showed too when he came across Flash and Priscilla again, who were still collecting money for the charity. "Hi there! Is there still time to donate?" he asked as he hopped down from the polar bear´s paw. "Yes....there always..is", Flash turned into his direction. "Then this is all yours. Merry Christmas!" Big put a large sum of money to his box, so big that there was enough of it for the next charity project too. Slowly, a big smile appeared to Flash and Priscilla´s faces. This was easily the biggest amount of money anyone had given to them during this holiday. "Sir....perhaps we were wrong about....you", Priscilla said. "I don´t...know...how much...I can thank you", Flash added. "You´re welcome. Use it for a good cause like you promised", Big smiled as he kept on going. But the big surprise was yet to come. Big waited until 24 hours had passed since Nick left for his day off, and headed for his house. It was just the right moment. Through the window, he could see how happy they all looked. Little Jonathan looked better already, and the entire family ate eartily on the table. All the children enjoyed the toys Big had sent them, while Nick and Judy had never looked happier. "Whoever sent all this to us....I wish him or her all the best in the world", the fox said gratefully. "Christmas magic does work in mysterious ways, my dear", Judy clasped his paw. "Nicholas Piberius Hopps!" Big´s voice said as he opened the door. The family was shocked to see his boss enter the house. Big tried to play with their expectations a bit right before surprising them. "W-what are you doing here?" Nick went pale. "Take the day off, I said. 24 hours have already passed, and you´re still here instead of work! What is your excuse this time?" Big pretended to sneer. "But it´s Christmas!" Nick said. "Bah, humbug! To that I say to you, Nick....Merry Christmas to you and all your family!" his face turned into a friendly smile as he shook paws kindly with the fox. Everybody was even more shocked. Was this really the same shrew Nick had as a boss? "You may wonder where all that food and presents came from. Well, I sent all of that, I just wanted to surprise you all. The family of such a hard working man should not go unrewarded", Big revealed. Judy and her children were delighted. They couldn´t be even more thankful, and Nick felt the same way. Big then gave a big heartfelt apology to all the hardships he had caused for the family. Nick understood, and forgave him. He wasn´t the type of fox to bear grudge against anyone. "And as for you, Nick, I´m giving you a raise. Consider that your Christmas present. I promise to support your family as well as I can, and if you keep up the good work, I´m considering promoting you to my business partner", Big promised. He also planned to give a huge sum of his wealth to Nick in his testament when it was the right time. "Thank you greatly, good Sir", Nick was almost in tears. "Merry Christmas to you, and a happy New Year!" the redeemed shrew wished as he left the house. "Unbelievable....he has never been this generous to any of us", Nick went back to his wife. Judy looked at him, and smiled. "I don´t know what that was, but I´m sure the power of the season brought out that side in him. There´s always good even in mammals like him deep down, I believe so", she held his paw.. Nick hugged and kissed his bunny wife. He had never felt this happy before for his family. "God bless us, everyone!" Jonathan said cheerfully. Big could hear all that talk as he walked away from the house, smiling kindly. It was a story unlike any other told during Christmas in Zootopia. No matter how cold a heart, the magic of the season would always find to thaw those and bring out the good mammal in anybody. THE END. Category:Christmas stories Category:Victorian Era stories Category:Stories set in the Victorian era Category:WildeHopps stories Category:Stories inspired by A Christmas Carol Category:A Christmas Carol retellings Category:Stories about Mr.Big Category:Stories where WildeHopps is referenced but not the main focus Category:AU Fanfics Category:Redemption stories